The government of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has toughened its stance against corruption in public offices. The hardening of the posture was seen in a letter from the Ministry of Justice sent to all government offices at the weekend warning corrupt employees to behave or face dismissal. The letter said government employees convicted of crimes of bribery, forgery, embezzlement, smuggling and drug trafficking will be dismissed. In the letter, the ministry stressed that workers will be fired under Article 12 of Civil Service regulations, if they have been issued with a final Shariah verdict, stipulating a Hadd punishment, which includes beheading. The same applies if anyone is issued an irrevocable judicial verdict for crimes of bribery, forgery, embezzlement, smuggling, trafficking or dealing in drugs or intoxicants. The circular said there will be discretionary punishment for employees found guilty of substance abuse, which does not fall under the Hudood penalties, according to the letter from the Ministry of Justice. This has been confirmed by the Control and Investigation Board (CIB) on the basis of Decision No.85 of the Board of Senior Ulema. Muhammad Al-Shareef, Chairman of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, recently said new anti-corruption regulations are coming into effect which will stamp out misuse of funds in all government departments. The regulations will force government and ministerial officials dealing with financial affairs to present documents proving they have the necessary financial clearance. The commission, he said, will be playing an important role in following up and monitoring government projects and preventing any type of corruption. He called on all elements of Saudi society to help the commission carry out its work. “The commission pins big hopes on the society to help in reporting any type of corruption and lack of public services,” Al-Shareef said.
